Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Monday raised the question on who could have benefited in the P8.86-billion contract awarded to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. by the government through the Department of Budget and Management’s procurement services (DBM-PS).

Drilon said it is clear Pharmally was given the advantage despite having only a paid-up capital of P625,000.

“Kahit gaano pa baliktarin ito, maliwanag na binigyan ng advantage ang Pharmally dito sa usaping ito. (However you put it, it’s clear that Pharmally was given due advantage),” Drilon said in an interview on Teleradyo.

“Mahalata naman na paikot-ikot ang sagot at kung minsan matagal sumagot. Mahahalata mo minsan nag sisinunggaling (You can tell by the way they are evasive in answering and at times it takes them time to answer. You can also tell they are sometimes lying),” he pointed out.

Drilon said while there is no evidence yet that someone pocketed money from the deal, there is clearly a violation of the anti-graft law.

The minority leader said it would be best if probers can take a look into the bank accounts of Pharmally executives and former budget undersecretary Christopher Lao.

It was Lao who headed the DBM-PS when Pharmally was awarded the contract. Lao insisted that the awarding of the contract on the procurement of COVID-19 pandemic supplies was above-board.

“Magtatanong tayo at nakikita natin ang paglabag sa anti -graft law at baka naman masilip natin yung bank accounts ng Pharmally at ni undersecretary Lao at noong si Linconn Ong kung papayag po sila (We will ask if there’s any violation in the anti-graft law and maybe we can look into the bank accounts of Pharmally and former undersecretary Lao and Linconn Ong, if they so agree),” he pointed out.

Ong and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, whom Pharmally officials admitted was the one who lent them the money, had been ordered arrested for being evasive during last Friday’s hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee.

In its sixth hearing on Monday, Sept. 13, Yang again skipped the Senate hearing. His lawyer, Raymond Fortun said he was told that Yang’s blood pressure suddenly shot up and was advised by his doctors to stay home and rest.